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How was that for a show, Charlotte?
3,000 fans eagerly entered Spectrum Center on Saturday hoping to see something special.
“I’m here, I’m happy, this is my second home. It’s great to be back,” Swarm365 Member Hector Cortes (more commonly known at Spectrum Center as Sombrero Man) said after being so excited to get to the game, he left his trademark sombrero at home and had to have his wife bring it to him. “I can’t wait to see the new kid on the block, LaMelo Ball. I’m ready to go! I just want to watch the whole crew tear it up out there!
The Hornets went above and beyond to deliver both on and off the court, rolling the Raptors, 114-104, setting two franchise records along the way and providing a safe, entertaining environment for their fans.
Ball led the way for Charlotte, finishing with a game-high 23 points to go with nine rebounds and six assists, while Terry Rozier (17), Devonte’ Graham (17), Malik Monk (16), PJ Washington (11) and Cody Zeller (10) all finished scoring in double figures.
The Hornets played tremendous team basketball while shooting the lights out on their home court. Charlotte finished 39-of-80 from the field, including a season-high-tying 21-of-49 from outside the arc. After falling behind early in their two previous contests against the Raptors, the Hornets wanted to set the tone against Toronto early and it didn’t take long to get things rolling.
Ball got things going early for Charlotte with nine points, five rebounds and a steal in the game’s first six minutes as the Hornets jumped out to a 25-4 lead.
Charlotte didn’t miss a beat when Ball checked out as Head Coach James Borrego’s team-first focus was evident, with the Hornets tallying 12 assists on 14 made baskets in the first frame as it build at 44-24 lead after one.
It didn’t hurt that Charlotte had never been historically hotter from long range, as they set a franchise record for treys in a quarter, going 11-of-16 (68.8 percent) from outside the arc (prev: 10 was set on 3/24/19 at TOR). And the threes were coming from everywhere, with Ball, Terry Rozier and Devonte’ Graham all shooting 3-of-5 behind the arc in the first frame. Throw in a trey apiece from Hayward and PJ Washington, and the Raptors seemed shaken on who to guard outside the arc.
The Hornets hot shooting cooled some in the second half, but the Hornets still were able to keep the Raptors as bay. By quarter’s end, Charlotte would set another franchise record, this time for three’s in half (16-of-30, prev: 14 done 2x, most recently 1/13/20 at POR).
And just when the Hornets hit a stagnant stretch late in the second quarter, it was Ball who left jaws on the floor all over Spectrum Center. With Toronto having pulled to within 60-46, Washington was able to steal the ball in traffic, keep control of it with a behind-the-back dribble as push the action and to LaMelo. With Norman Powell closing fast, Ball did a complete 360 outside the arc on the left sideline to get Powell to fly by, then was able to reset his feet and knock down a three over Kyle Lowery and give the Hornets a 63-46 lead.
From that point, the Raptors would get no closer than 13 points the rest of the contest as Charlotte cruised to the victory in front of its hometown crowd.
The Hornets will wrap up their three-game homestand to start the second half with a 7 p.m. tip on Monday against Sacramento at Spectrum Center. Watch the game on FOX Sports Southeast or listen on WFNZ.
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March 14, 2021 at 10:11AM
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